Country Talk JUNE 2012 by Amlin United Methodist Church

A newsletter for the Amlin United Methodist Church community

C OUNTRY T ALK AmlinUMC.org

June 2012

The Message Peace with Justice Day is June 3! Join with us as we welcome guest preacher Rev. Laura Young, from The Children’s Defense Fund. “God has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

One member shares baseball dream come true experience with whole church family Amlin’s Tim Wisecup won the Pepsi Max Field of Dreams contest It all started on Sept. ter, my Amlin church 1, 2011 when I got the family was behind me all call that I was selected the way. as 1 of 4 semi-finalists in After voting the maxithe Pepsi Max Field of mum times per day for Dreams Contest. three weeks, Team After developWisecup was ing a strategy for announced as See photos & winning the conthe winner. read more test with my On May 12, stories from family, Kim and 2012, the big Amlin friends Katie, we began day finally on page 6! the grass roots arrived. Team campaign on a Wisecup was Sunday morning at Amlin actually going to play UMC. against a team of BaseAlong with teammates ball Legends in HuntingCurtis Thompson, Eric ton Park. Grant, and Josh SlaughThe legends gave us

encouragement and support before and during the game. They were there to have fun as well. Team Wisecup had a late rally, but couldn‟t quite close the gap. Although I would guess that 12-11 is better than most expected from Team Wisecup. This whole experience has been a dream come true for me. I couldn‟t have done it without the help of my Amlin Church family. Thank you! -Tim Wisecup

Thank You, Marianne! Marianne Dillon 25 years of musical inspiration as Amlin organist

Our hearts are still heavy as we miss our Sweet Mary Spencer and Dear Irene Foulk. May God continue to keep you both close to His heart, as we will continue to keep you close to ours.

In My Own Words

The story of how Amlin UMC has changed one person’s life Five years ago I moved to this area from my home and church of 40 years. I knew I would be able to keep in touch with friends whenever I wanted. However, I felt an emptiness in my heart for my home church. My personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ had grown and was nourished by that church. I became worried that my spiritual journey

would become weak. I continued my daily devotions, Bible reading, and praying, but I felt something was missing. After a short time, I attended Amlin United Methodist Church. I would pass by the little white church and think that someday I would like to attend there. I also knew that one of my former Fairborn pastors, Orville, and his wife Millie, at-

tended there. I thought that if they liked AUMC, it must be a good church. After that first visit I never visited any other church. I knew I had found my new church home. I started attending regularly. I got spiritually fed with the sermons, group studies, private conversations and just being with fellow Christians.

Being with fellow believers is extremely important to me. I started volunteering to help where needed, joined the United Methodist Women and even help start a Women‟s Bible Study (a first for me). AUMC has helped strengthen my walk with God even more. I now rest comfortably while doing my daily devotions and time with God, knowing that my pastor, church family and

the worship services are there for me. Nancy Chattoraj I also know that I need to continue to grow in my spiritual life and that I need to give back as much as I receive. Thank you AUMC family. Blessings to all.

Cedar Point, kick-off party planned for youth group The summer is for fun with Amlin teens All youth in grades 7-12 are welcome to participate in Amlin‟s Youth Group. Meetings will be held after church service from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. on June 24 and July 22 We will be going on a trip to Cedar Point on July 18. The signup was in May. Any youth and heir friends ages 7-12 grade are welcome to join us! On August 18, we

will be having our Youth Group KickOff Party at Mychal Ellis's house from 124 pm. For this event, we invite all incoming 7th graders to join us to help start planning a new year of youth group and get to know one another. For more information, please contact Emily Kerr at emonkee.usa@gmail.com The Youth Group traveled to Canton in February on a mission trip.

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Please keep the following persons and situations in your prayers. If you have a prayer request, you are invited to share it during worship, write it in the Friendship Pad, or contact Pastor Steve or the church office. We will list prayer requests in the bulletin and newsletter, unless you prefer not to have them printed. Names will remain on the list for one month, unless otherwise directed. Brittany & Family Char The Creek Family Delaney Angie Dick Pam Ellis Family of Irene Foulk Stephen Gussler Gary Ian Phil Hart Family & Friends of Nick Harris The Hoffman Family

Jessica Josh Huffman Jill Johnson Bob Jones Jessica Emily Kerr Pearl Kirby Lori & Eileen Terry & Betty Litterist Maggie Lyons Hayley Marfurt Chelsea Matz Sue McCary

Family and Friends of Harriet Morton Eddy Myers Lynn Nichols Olivia‟s grandmother Peggy James Palsgroves Emily Rader The Rumpf Family Zach Ruppel Jim Sears Teresa Schutt Doreen Scurlock Family of Maurine Shaver

Lewis & Marjorie Shultz Gary Sollmann Christopher Spencer Courtney Spencer The Spencer Family Family & Friends of Pastor A. Stephen Rylee Stillion Theresa Mary Kay Withrow John Woerner Logan Yoder Bobi & John Zeek

Country Talk is a monthly publication of Amlin United Methodist Church, issued at the beginning of each month. The deadline for articles is the 20th of each month for the next month’s issue. Articles and photos should be put in the church‟s DropBox account, in the “Newsletter” folder. If you need access to the DropBox account, please contact the office at AmlinUMC@aol.com.

Regular Sunday Morning Schedule 9:30–10:30 Traditional Worship* & Sunday School in the Chapel 10:30–11:00 Fellowship Time for Both Services in the New Life Center 11:00–12:00 Contemporary Worship* & Sunday School in the New Life Center 12:00 p.m. – Fellowship Time in the New Life Center *Nursery care (birth through 2 years) is provided in the New Life Center throughout the morning. Sunday School is for ages 3 through grade 6 is held during both services. Children start in the worship service and are dismissed following “Children‟s Moments.” They move to the Fellowship Hall, where they participate in lessons including songs, prayer, bible study, etc.

Those searching for jobs The people, ministries, finances & growth of our church Our world, our leaders, and our troops

Contact Information: Phone: 614-771-1904 Email: AmlinUMC@aol.com Website: www.amlinumc.org Pastor Steve Putka Email: sputka@me.com Church Office: Interim Hours by Appointment with Pastor Steve Putka Treasurer: Pam Ellis By appointment, call 761-1371 Financial Secretary: Becky Kent By appointment, call 446-2359

most important season of the year as we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Ordinary Time is a time for growth! Together, From Pastor Steve Putka we will remember the stories of Jesus, his mira“No So Ordinary Time” cles, and his challenging teachings. As we do this, we will find practical ways to live differently and practice our faith more intentionally. As a D id you know that our church church, we will expand our study and fellowship has seasons? offerings. We will reach out to our community in Our church has seasons of the new ways. year, each with a focus and a way to help us grow in And here‟s the good news: I promise you that faith. We have the anticipation of Christmas during if you expect Ordinary Time to be a time of deep the Advent season, followed by the season growth for you, it will be! God never of Epiphany. Then comes our forty days of fails to extend the Holy Spirit to those Ordinary Time repentance and self-denial in Lent. who ask. tends to get But after the lilies and celebration of So this season, put yourself in places passed over and Easter, and the fiery red of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit will cross your not noticed. But comes a season marked by the color green. path! And we know where those places it’s the color It‟s called simply: Ordinary Time. are… places like VBS, Bible study, volgreen that gives Ordinary Time tends to get passed over unteering at the summer lunch program us a clue to and not noticed. But it‟s the color green that or mission trip, focused worship, times its power. gives us a clue to its power. It reminds me a of prayer, when deeply listening to a lot of that song by Kermit the Frog, “It‟s Not friend who is hurting, and the list goes That Easy Being Green.” on and on. Ordinary Time, like the color green, does not The lush green growth of Ordinary Time is stand out like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in beautiful, and it‟s where I want to be. You? the sky. But for Christians, Ordinary Time can be the

The Pastor’s Message

W! Support UM Cut this out on and post it ! your fridge

This year the UMW will continue collecting donations for the Westside Free Store with a monthly theme. The overall focus is collecting the small, mostly consumable items that are seldom covered by usual donations. We will take the items to the Westside Free Store at the end of each month. We appreciate everything you are able to do to help the growing number of individuals needing assistance in these economic rough times. As you do your own shopping please keep in mind the themes for each month and consider contributing to the program. June: deodorant July: shaving supplies August: new underwear September: new socks October: hats, scarves, gloves November: first aid (no medicines) December: shampoo For more information, please contact Mary Vulic & Jane Fink, Mission Projects Coordinators

UMW supports variety of missions From purchasing coffee to donating combs , there are many ways to support the United Methodist Women’s mission projects. Health Kits The UMW will be helping with a church-wide project sponsored by the West Ohio Conference. The WOC sponsors a special project each year. This year‟s project is making health kits. These kits will contain a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, nail clippers, plastic bandages, a hand towel and wash cloth. Each kit requires $2.00 for postage. Monetary donations for postage would be helpful These kits will be distributed to areas in the WOC and some will be given to UMCOR for disaster relief. On Sunday June 3, between services, the congregation is invited to help assemble these kits. All donations are appreciated. Pastor Steve and Jim and Sharon Oldham will present these kits at the WOC conference in June along with the other churches in the district.

Living Water Mission A discussion was held on our global mission of Living Water. The discussion will continue at the next meeting. West Side Free Store Lunch The West Side Free Store will be closed on Saturday, June 30. We will not be serving a meal that day. Fair Trade Coffee/Tea A reminder that our group continues to have coffee and tea for sell through the Fair Trade Coffee Project. These are available in the NLC each Sunday. Monthly Meeting Our next meeting will by June 14 at 7:00 pm. in the Fellowship Hall. All women are invited to attend monthly or occasionally, when schedules permit. All are welcome! For more information, please contact Nancy Chattoraj

Run, walk or cheer with the group on June 14 The Run for God group has made great progress! Many who were previously not running at all are now able to run for 20-30 minutes (or more) at a time without stopping. We have added an extra meeting per week and are now getting together Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:00, and Saturdays at 10:00 with a quick Bible study on Mondays before we start our run. All meetings are at Homestead by the blue

caboose - everyone is welcome so please join us! We volunteered at the Cap City Half Marathon in May and that was a wonderful experience! We witnessed such a diverse group of people tackling a 13.1 run, and many said our Run for God shirts were just the pick-me-up they needed for the last few miles. The Run for God team will be running the “Be a Hero” 5k on Thursday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m. It

Trustees announce a few changes and additions Dumpster Location Changes Some changes have been made related to the trash service, the dumpster location, and the recycling bin. The trash service changed, but the location of the dumpster has as well. As a group, we have also decided to remove the recycling dumpster. These decisions were arrived at primarily because it was felt that the dumpsters are probably the first thing a new attendee sees, or what the traffic on Cosgray Road focuses on too easily when looking at our property. Additionally, the old dumpster location has added to the drainage problem that has helped create “Lake Amlin”. In deciding to change the dumpster location, there would not be adequate space to relocate the recycling dumpster too.

Baby Changing Stations Hopefully everyone has noticed the “Koala” baby changing stations that have been added to the men‟s and women‟s restrooms in the NLC, but if not, please help spread the word!

Fellowship Hall Stove Available The decision has been made to get rid of one of the ranges in the Fellowship Hall. If anyone would be interested in taking it, please contact one of your trustees.

Amlin’s Run for God group volunteered at the Cap City Marathon by handing out water and cheering on runners. is at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. Everyone in the church is invited to participate… as a runner, walker or cheerleader! Go to http://www.ultrafit-

usa.com/ Beahero5K.html for more info about running/ walking or to go ahead and sign up! The cost is $25 per person. We would also

love to have a cheering section waiting for us at the finish line. The more the merrier! For more information, contact Becky Kent at Becky.Kent@me.com.

Don't be a stranger! We are starting to take advantage of more functionality in our church management system. Part of this involves more robust attendance tracking than Amlin has done in the past. In order to ensure accuracy, please sign the friendship pad as it passes by on Sunday morning. If you have recently moved or are unsure whether the church has your current address/phone/email, please include those as well. Thank you!

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Remember: take attendance at church meetings, events We are recording attendance at all Amlin UMC meetings/events for reporting to the UMC. We will be using attendance sheets at all church functions. If you are in charge of the meeting or, even just attending, please be sure these sheets are completed. The sheets will be available on the Welcome Desk in the New Life Center and on the table in Fellowship Hall. Thank you for your cooperation!

“Upper Room” daily devotional books for May/June are available on the foyer table in the Chapel and on the welcome desk in the New Life Center. Large print copies are also available. For those of you who like to do

your reading on a computer, you can access the Upper Room Daily Devotional online very easily. Simply go to www.UpperRoom.org and look for “Today‟s Devotional: the day‟s topic”. It is the same as what appears in the magazine.

The preschool children shared their artwork and enjoyed music and socializing with family and friends at the first ACP Gallery Hop.

Preschoolers wrap up great year with 1st Gallery Hop Thank you Amlin Friends for a wonderful school year. Francesca and I have been overwhelmed with your kindness towards us. We have loved every minute of our little Preschool on the Prairie. I will be sad to see Francesca leave but excited for her and her family to make new memories in Michigan. I am sure her Ohio memories will be much fonder. We had a wonderful year filled with, apples, pumpkins, turkeys, Christmas, snow, Valentines, whales, butterflies, planets, and God's Love. The children this year learned so many facts, songs and finger plays! But I feel the most important quality they are taking with them is their ability to pray and they know Jesus loves them very much.

Preschool opens Mon/Wed class for younger children Are you looking for a small preschool for your 2 ½ - 3 years old? Amlin Community Preschool just opened a new session on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9:30 – 11:30 just for 2 ½ - 3 year olds. With no more than 6 students in the class, it‟s perfect for

first time preschools! Spots will fill up fast! So, don‟t wait to sign up! The preschool also has classes in the morning and afternoon classes on Tuesday and Thursdays for 2 ½ - 5 year old. Visit AmlinCommunityPreschool.com for more information.

Thank you to Francesca Lehman, ACP Assistant! We wish you the best of luck in Michigan! Our prayers will follow you! Welcome to Lisa Burns, who will be joining ACP this fall! We are excited to have you join our Amlin family!

Our 1st Gallery Hop was awesome! The children sang, shared cookies and punch and strolled around their art work while a pianist played lovely songs. It had a grown up feel yet a preschool feel at the same time. We hope their love for the arts will continue to grow. We are already planning for next year and praying for the children and their families who God will be bringing to us. We still have a few spots open if anyone is interested in the best little Preschool on the Prairie. Please have a wonderful and safe summer. Love, Marybeth and Francesca The Preschool Gals

Would you be willing to help with a Service Ministry on Sunday mornings? We are looking for new people willing to commit to serving as Lay Reader, Usher, Greeter, or Nursery Volunteer. Our hope is to get enough people not already serving so the rotation will be one time every two or three months. This is a very easy but very important way to help! Please contact Eugene Pauley at sepauley@aol.com or 614-570-8706 and he will get you signed up! Thank you for your consideration!

Would you be willing to help clean God’s house? Our church is seeking God‟s servants willing to rotate weekly cleaning/ custodial duties in the NLC and Chapel/fellowship hall. You will share a turn no more often than once a month. This will be light to moderate cleaning, restocking of bathroom supplies, and other miscellaneous duties that can be performed at your convenience. Checklist provided. For interest in helping with the NLC please contact Bev Hart at bhart@worly.com or 614-519-3971, and interest in helping with the Chapel/Fellowship Hall please contact Jason Bevington at buckeyedeere@sbcglobal.net or 614-638-6556. Thank you for your consideration!

Brian West

Curtis Thompson

Tim Wisecup

Eric Grant

Josh Slaughter

Baseball dream come true experience shared with whole church family “This game made me wish that I was 50 years younger! The professional players were really a class act and I appreciated the fact that they weren‟t trying to embarrass anyone. I hadn‟t really known that Johnny Bench was SO funny. The guys on our team did a great job. I am sure that they created many memories that they will share with their children and grandchildren.” Orville Cruea

“I thought the evening was very fun, and Team Wisecup did a great job. This was my first time in Huntington Park, and it was fun to know people playing.” Jackie Cook

“I thought it was cool when my dad hit the ball and when I got to go out on the field. I felt like a real player like my dad. The funniest part was when Brian West hit the ball and the announcer said „Amen.‟” Nate Thompson

„I thought the game was really exciting and I was glad to be out on the field with my dad. Johnny Bench was very funny and nice. When I saw him on the field, he called to me. He said: “There‟s my girlfriend. All A‟s!” I thought it was neat that he talked about it because it shows that he cares about things other than sports. It was cool to be the bat girl during the game. I was surprised that our team broke 3-4 bats, and the professionals didn‟t break any. I thought it was funny that some people wanted MY autograph. I signed 3 baseballs and a glove.” Katie Wisecup

Service Ministry Schedule June

Worship Service

June 3 Communion

June 10

June 17 Father’s Day

June 24